Page 72 of Movers and Fakers

Hayes: I guess I didn’t think about where you’d put them…

Princess: Are you always so impulsive?

I smile, glancing up every now and again to make sure I don’t run into anything or anyone on my walk back.

Hayes: Kissing you wasn’t impulsive. That was well thought out, I can assure you.

Princess: There you go, being an insufferable flirt again.

Hayes: There you go, loving it.

My smile is back in full force now, giving me hope once again that maybe this thing with Aurora is different enough to withstand whatever my parents throw at us.

Princess: I’m going to borrow a thesaurus from the library tomorrow. I need to look up synonyms for ridiculous.

Hayes: Be honest, Princess, you’re only saying that because your friends can see you blushing right now.

Princess: I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Hayes: Rule number two.

Princess: Shut up.

A true laugh shakes my chest. I start to feel light again, not so weighed down by my parents’ expectations and impending disappointment. I don’t know what’s going to happen when I ask Aurora to come with me to New York, but I do know she makes me happier than I’ve ever been. And that’s worth fighting for.

Chapter thirty-six

Frozen Heart

Aurora Driscoll

I hide my blushing face behind a bouquet of roses at Hayes’s most recent text. It’s no use, though, because my friends have already seen me and erupted into fits of giggles. Even Marigold, who has been skeptical of Hayes, is laughing behind a cup of coffee she probably shouldn’t be drinking at ten p.m.. Last semester, we had to help Marigold through a rough patch where she wasn’t taking the best care of herself. She’s gotten a lot better and wouldn’t usually have coffee so late, but she said she wanted to be awake when I got back.

Jasmine is sipping on coffee too, but Saylor has had none and somehow has more energy than the both of them combined. She’s grinning widely while filling one half of our kitchen sink with water so we can put some roses in there until I decide what to do with them. We’ve already made several bouquets, stuffing them into all the vases we own, a few mason jars, even some reusable water bottles. I’ve gotten flowers before after performances, but never this many. I can’t imagine throwing them away. They must have cost a fortune.

“I can’t believe you kissed!” Saylor squeals, not for the first time. “I’m so jealous. Now all of you have gorgeous boyfriends who adore you! Meanwhile, I’m going to be one of those sad doctors I shadow that live at the hospital because they have no one to go home to.”

I frown and share a concerned glance with Jasmine and Marigold.

“You’re only nineteen, Say.” Jasmine reassures her. “You’ve got time.”

Saylor starts placing roses in the water. She’s careful not to damage any of the petals, and now I feel bad that I asked for her help. I didn’t realize it might hurt her feelings.

“I don’t, though, remember? College is busy, but med school will be a whole new level. I’ll have to schedule breathing into my Google calendar so I don’t forget.” She huffs a laugh, not meeting our eyes. “Then comes residency, after that working full time. I know people find love in all of those places, but it feels like my chances are so slim.”

She shakes her head, continuing to move the roses into the water.

“I scare off every guy I go on a date with. And you wanna know the worst part?” She looks up, and the emotion in her eyes catches me off guard. “I know before I even sit across from them that it’s going to be terrible. Because no guy has ever silenced the voice in my head that says I could be somewhere else, doing something more productive. The only people who have are you guys and Graham. My brother Andrew, I guess, if he was here.”

Silence settles over the kitchen. I glance over at Jasmine and Marigold. They’re better at emotions than I am. I have no idea what to say to all of that.

“What about Graham?” Marigold asks, the words too quick to be thought through.

Jasmine shoots her a wide-eyed look. We all decided not to bring up Graham as anything more than Saylor’s friend. Well, at least I think that’s what was decided. No one ever made it official. Jasmine just gave us enough pointed looks that I felt like it was a rule.

“What about him?” Saylor asks, scrunching up her face as she reaches for more roses off the kitchen island.

“You said no guy quiets that voice, but he’s a guy, and you’re not related,” Marigold points out.